Air Pollution and Respiratory Illnesses in Nigeria

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Hypothesis
Problem Statement
Methods Used
Author’s General Conclusion
Analysis of the Article
Recommendation and conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

This paper presents a critique of an article on air pollution and the illnesses associated with it. The article focuses its argument on environment and health issues and discusses a research conducted on air pollution and risk factor respiratory illness which involved researching school children in southern Nigeria.

Hypothesis

The purpose of the article presented was to test the relationship of the respiratory system illness and air pollution in developing countries, especially in Africa. The research conducted by Adetoun et al, was investigating outdoor and indoor air pollutions. Air pollution was evident in schools and other prone environments such as roads and oil refining plants in Southern Nigeria. It was hypothesized that air pollution results from activities such as using fuel, coal in particular, and paraffin in cooking in most houses in Nigeria. The article also centers on the relationship between air pollution and respiratory illness such as wheeze, night cough phlegm, rhinitis and doctor-diagnosed asthma (Adetoun et al. 1).

Problem Statement

The article addresses the association of respiratory diseases and air pollution in developing countries. The research attempts to measure the amount of indoor and outdoor air pollution caused by poor ventilation in houses, overcrowding in one room, air traffic pollution caused by motorcycles, cars and petrol refining plants. Social and economic impact was a significant concern in conducting the research since it gave the relationship between air pollution and the doctor-diagnosed cases of asthma in Southern Nigeria.

The article also touches upon air pollution issues in developing countries, specifically in Africa and, consequently, revealed the causes and implications of air pollution to society in these countries. The article recognized the shortcomings of research done by past researchers on air pollution, particularly in Africa. Mustapha et al, conducted a comprehensive research on air pollution in Southern Nigeria, an environmental setting which consisted of poor social economic background students.

Such environment correlates with the overall composition of African population. Adetoun et al. based their research on an environment consisting of air pollution complexes, for instance, oil refinery plant and air traffic pollution in Warri city in Southern Nigeria. Therefore, this research is valid in investigating air pollution and the resultant effect in respiratory illnesses in Africa.

The problem of air pollution and its implication to health addressed by the article affects a large African Population. Most African countries do not invest in air pollution control measures since most of the African countries are poor and strive to meet their budgets and basic needs. On the other hand, most of the African countries lack favorable political environment to foster implementation strategies to control air pollution. Therefore, according to Adetoun et al, choice of the environmental topic on air pollution was significantly relevant since it dealt with the right composition of population. and also conducted a research on a topic that presents a prevalent problem affecting African countries.

This article can be justified after analyzing the information presented. Considering the air pollution problem articulated in this research imminent issues which past researchers have constantly ignored, are under focus in this article. This, therefore, demands attention to contain the distressing condition that currently prevails in African environment. Most of the African populations are ignorant or not aware of the implication of air pollution and their health condition. Therefore, this article ignites a conscious consideration of air pollution measures to be established in developing countries, namely, in Africa.

Methods Used

The research presented in the article engaged the use of cross-sectional survey that involved a population of 1,397 schoolchildren (Adetoun et al. 1). Emission variables, such as cars, cooking materials used in Southern Nigeria households measured the amount of air pollution in outdoor and indoor environments, and presented the data obtained from the findings in the article.

Various statistical methods of data analysis were used to explain the data collected and presented in tables and graphs in the article. The data presented in the article show all the variables tested during the research. It is well organized as evident in tables provided in this article. Two tables represent the data collected in this article. The first table represents variables, for instance, physical factors that contribute to air pollution such as gas emission from cars, oil plants, trucks, and soil particles air pollution experienced in Warri schools in southern Nigeria (Adetoun et al, 3).

The second table shows the relationship between air pollutants. It shows environmental factors and health variables such as wheeze, night cough, phlegm, rhinitis and doctor-diagnosed asthma as well as it represents household prevalence factors that pollute the environment (Adetoun et al, 4).

The tables in the article present all the relevant data required to analyze the impact of air pollution and respiratory illnesses along with the useful data for proper analysis of the information provided.

Author’s General Conclusion

The authors conclude that air pollution is associated with most respiratory illness as seen in the analysis of the data in the article. However, they noted that illnesses such as doctor-diagnosed asthma show low prevalence according to the finding in research in Southern Nigeria. This is because most of the examined population came from poor social and economic backgrounds and hence, they are ignorant or lack the means to be tested. The authors also focused on the challenges they met while conducting research and asserts that it might have caused an underestimate of the size and figures represented in the article (Adetoun et al. 6).

Analysis of the Article

The article presents findings on air pollution, a phenomena that have been sidelined by past researchers. It provides readers with adequate informationon how air pollutions relates significantly with respiratory illnesses in African societies. The authors of this article conducted a comprehensive research on indoor and outdoor factors that propagate respiratory complications. They also accounted for the social and economic factors and explained the relationship with the respiratory diseases. The finding of this article is extremely influential, since it provides information that is fundamental to promote environmental policies in African countries to curb air pollution. The article presents its discussion in a well-organized manner and show all the steps involved by the researcher.

Recommendation and conclusion

Authors of this article experienced some difficulties in conducting the air pollution research because they conducted the research in interior environments of Southern Nigeria. The tools that they were using presented some power problems. Most of the rural African environments have electricity problems, therefore, in future researchers there should come saver machines with power to help them conduct such research to avoid underestimation of data collected.

Works Cited

Adetoun, Blangiardo, DavidBriggs, and Anna, Hansell. Traffic Air Pollution and Other Risk Factors for Respiratory Illness in Schoolchildren in the Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria, United Kingdom:MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, 2011. Print.

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